K’s Choice

This is one of my most recent discoveries; Ajvar. It’s a Serbian roasted red pepper, eggplant and garlic condiment and it is to die for! Sweet and slightly smoky because of the chipotle chili powder I add, this spread ranks high in my seriously good food list. Traditionally it’s prepared over a wood fire, which definitely enhances the flavour and makes it more authentic, but for this recipe I kept it basic and stuck to my oven.

You can use Ajvar as a dipping sauce, slap it on sandwiches, add it to pasta dishes, mix some with mayonnaise, add a nice scoop to your salad dressing, or be like me and scoop some on top of a slice of French bread with cream cheese. Really, the sky is the limit.

But you should especially serve some during your next BBQ. Heck, just casually whip it up during the BBQ. You’ll get rave reviews, mark my words!

There are different preparation techniques but here’s my no-nonsense version; just combine the (roasted) ingredients in your food processor and turn them into a spread. Want an even thicker, mellower spread? No problem, just transfer the Ajvar from the food processor to a saucepan and simmer over low heat for roughly 20 to 30 minutes.

Wash and dry the peppers and eggplant. Cut the peppers in half and remove the stem and seeds.

Slice the eggplant in half and brush the cut-side with some oil. I completely forgot to do that.

Place everything, cut-side down, on a roasting tray.

Add the garlic cloves as well. Brush them with a little olive oil first.

Roast the vegetables in a preheated oven at 180Cº (355Fº) until the peppers are blistered and the eggplant is all soft. This should take anywhere between 20 and 30 minutes.

Once they’re done you place the peppers in a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and let the eggplant cool off for a few minutes.

See, that’s why you shouldn’t forget to brush them with a bit of olive oil. Learn from my mistakes, people!

Not that it really made a difference. I just like to get all dramatic.

Scoop the flesh out of the eggplant skin and transfer it to your food processor, squeeze the roasted garlic in there, too.

The peppers should be really easy to peel now. Remove as much blackened skin as you can, but don’t fret over a few specks, it will add flavour.

Transfer the bell pepper to the food processor and add the remaining ingredients.

Just blitz until you have a vegetable spread. I like to really puree mine, but you can leave it a little chunkier, too.

Let it cool off and dive in! Or finely chop some onion (2 tbsp or so), sauté the onion in olive oil, add the pepper spread and simmer it for 20 to 30 minutes over low heat while stirring often. This will make it taste even more amazing!

Wash and dry the peppers and eggplant. Cut the peppers in half and remove the stem and seeds. Slice the eggplant in half and brush the cut-side with some oil. Place everything, cut-side down, on a roasting tray along with the garlic cloves that you brush with oil as well. Roast the vegetables in a preheated oven at 180Cº (355Fº) until the peppers are blistered and the eggplant is all soft. This should take anywhere between 20 and 30 minutes. Once they’re done you place the peppers in a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and let the eggplant cool off for a few minutes.

Scoop the flesh out of the eggplant skin and transfer it to your food processor, squeeze the roasted garlic in there, too. Peel the peppers and add them along with the remaining ingredients. Blitz until you have a vegetable spread. I like to really puree mine, but you can leave it a little chunkier, too. Let it cool off and dive in! Or finely chop some onion (1 or 2 tbsp), sauté the onion in olive oil, add the pepper spread and simmer it for 20 to 30 minutes over low heat while stirring often.